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Pet Surrenders

Surrendering your pet – what you need to know:

  1. We do not enforce surrender fees.  We want to ensure that anyone who can no longer care for their pet has no added obstacles in ensuring the well being of their pet.  However, we do appreciate any monetary donations that will help us in the care of your pet.

  2. Pet surrenders are determined by availability of space, as we are often full with limited to no room for additional animals.   Please call us, before attending the shelter with your animal to discuss your situation and determine what we can do to help.

  3. All pet surrenders are appointment based.  The shelter is very busy and surrenders do take time, as the process requires the gathering of information on your pet; therefore, as indicated previously, please call prior to attending the shelter to surrender your pet.

  4. Only the legal owner of a pet can legally surrender their animal.  If someone else will be surrendering your pet on your behalf, please call us so we can explain the required process.

  5. When you attend your scheduled appointment, please ensure that your animal is brought to our facility properly restrained (i.e. on a leash or in a carrier).  The shelter experiences a lot of traffic with numerous animals attending for various reasons.  In addition, the shelter has loose animals.  Ensuring your animal(s) are properly restrained ensures the safety of all persons and animals.

  6. We realize that surrendering your pet is a difficult and emotional decision. For this reason, it is important to understand that the decision to surrender your pet is a permanent one; thus, please ensure you have considered all of your options before making such a decision.  Once you have surrendered your animal, the TDHS becomes their legal caregiver.  As such, once we commence providing the animal with any level of veterinary care (i.e. vaccines) we are legally unable to reverse any surrenders.

When surrendering your pet, please provide the following:

  • A piece of photo identification for yourself (this is a legal requirement).

  • Your pet’s medical records (or the name of your pet’s veterinary clinic), if you have such information.

  • The remainder of your pet’s food in order to help with the transition to Science Diet pet food.

  • To help reduce your pet’s stress, we ask that you bring items that are familiar to them, such as favorite toys and a blanket.

  • You will be requested to fill out a animal surrender questionnaire, so we have all the information needed to help find your pet a new home.

What happens to your pet once it is surrendered?

When an animal is surrendered to the TDHS they will be assessed for health and temperament.   All animals are examined by our veterinary technician, and when deemed necessary, will be further examined by our shelter veterinarian.  They are also assessed for temperament in order to (1) determine any possible behavioural issues/needs and/or training needs; (2) their level of adoptability; and (3) to best match them with their future adoptive family.

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All cats and dogs placed up for adoption will be microchipped, vaccinated, dewormed, and spayed or neutered (if not already altered).

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We endeavour to save all animals that come into our care.  Sadly, we are unable to commit to saving all animals.  Some animals have medical issues/needs that are (1) beyond the capacity and/or resources of the organization and/or (2) it is deemed more humane to end an animal’s suffering.  There are also instances when an animal demonstrates a behavioral issue (i.e. severe food aggression) and/or a level of aggression that raises significant concern for public and animal safety – issues which exceed our capabilities and resources as a small animal shelter in rehabilitating the animal.

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If you have any further questions,  please call 705-264-1816 or email adoptions@tdhs.ca.

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